Printing telegraph



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. U. L. BUCKINGHAM.

PRINTING TELEGRAPH.

No. 350,615. Patented Oct. 12, 1886.

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(N0 Model.)

0. L. BUOKINGHAM.

PRINTING TELEGRAPH.

No. 350,615. Patented 00a. 12, 1886.

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UNITED STATES 'ATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. BUGKINGHAM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PRINTING-TELEGRAPH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 350,615, dated October 12, 1886.

Application filed October 24, 1884. Serial No. 146,361. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES L. BUOKING- HAM, of the city, county, and State of New York, a citizenof the United States of America, have made a new and useful Improvement in Printing-Telegraphs, of which the following is a specification. 1

In printing-telegraphs as usually constructed the type-wheel is rotated step by step by means of a motor and an escapement, and to effect one rotation of the type-wheel the escapement is vibrated as many times as there are characters upon the type-wheel. Thus to advance the type-wheel the space of one character one vibration of the escapement is necessary. With my improvement the typewheel at each vibration of the escapement is rotated or advanced the space of two characters, and if the characters were alphabetically arranged around the periphery of the'type- Wheel the first alternate set of characters would normally be brought at the end of the successive vibrations of the escapement above the paper strip in the order of b d f h, &c. The first vibration, the type-wheel starting from the zero-point, rotates it to present the letter b, and too far to present the letter a to the paper strip. The second vibration rotates the letter cbeyond the paper strip, thus bringing letter (1 over it, and in like manner at each step of rotation aletter is carried past and beyond the paper strip before the type-wheel is arrested. To print the second set of alternate characters, as a c e, 850., which under normal conditions are left beyond the paper strip at the end of successive vibrations, I employ an electro-magnet controlled by a second main line, which, as the type-wheel is being set to print, retards or withholds the type-wheel from being rotated as far as it otherwise would be by the space of one character. If thus retarded or withheld for one space, it is obvious that when arrested the type-wheel will present one of the second set of alternate characters above the paper strip, which would normally be carried beyond said strip. After an impression has been taken the apparatus which served to withhold the type-Wheel in turn serves to advance it the space of one character independently of its rotation due to the step-by-step escapernent. The type-wheel is withheld and in turn advanced the space of one char-arcter as follows: The escapeuientwheel is fixed upona feathered shalt, and upon said shaft a sleeve is arranged which, by virtue of the feather, rotates with said shaft, but is free to be moved longitudinally thereon, and is so moved by the electro-magnet in the second line. Said sleeve carries a pin or key, which rests in aspiral groove in the periphery of the shaft upon which the type-wheel is mounted. The esc'apement-wheel and typewheel cannot be moved along theiraxes, in consequence of which fact, upon the sliding of thesleeve along its axis, the pin in the sleeve in moving along the groove in the type-wheel shaft will, in respect to the escapement Wheel,

cause the type-wheel to rotate through the space of one character.

Other apparatus than that I have indicated may be employed to advance or withhold the type wheels j and I do not desire to limit my in. vention specifically thereto. The direction of this rotation is opposite to the rotation due to the escapement when setting the type-wheel to print; but the two independent and contemporaneousrotations during the adjustment of the wheel to again present the first set of alternate characters to the paper strip, are in the same direction, and thus, after an impression, the type-Wheel is rotated ahead as much as it was before withheld.

My invention also includes means for adapting the above-described feature to two typewheels, one provided with letters to print the name of an article in one line, and the other wheel figures to print itsprice in figures in a second line on one strip of paper. To this end, by means of one line I employ short electrical pulsations to ro ate the type-wheels and a prolonged current to cause impressions. A second main line is employed having at the receiving-instrument a neutral electromagnet to rotate the type-wheels the space of one character, and a polarized electro magnet to shift a press-roller under one wheel or the other, according as it is desired to print letters or fig ures. N ormally,a current, say,of positive polarity, flows over the second main line, in which case the press'roller is held under'the letter-wheel ready to print the first set of alternate letters, b d f. To print the first alternate set of figures, the current on the second line is reversed at the transmitting-station, throwing the pressroller under the figurewheel without rotating the typewheels. To print any one of the second set of alternate letters, the current on the second line is merely increased, thus rotating the type-wheel one space in respect to the escapement wheel, and leaving thepress-roller under the letter-wheel. To print any one of the second alternate set of figures, the transmitting operator both increases the strength and reverses the polarity of current on the second line, thereby rotating the type-wheels the space of one character in respect to the escapetnentwheel, and moving the press-roller under the figure-wheel.

From the foregoing it is seen that either of two letters and either of two figures may be brought to a position to be printed by a single vibration of the escapement-pallets, with the assistance of the devices above described, which are controlled by the second main line.

I will now describe my invention by refer ence to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of those fea tures of the receiving-iustrument to which my invention relates. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the connection betweenthe escapement-shaft and type wheel shalt. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the transmitting apparatus and circuits.

E is a polarized electro magnet placed in line 1, controlling the step-bystep escapementwheel A, having one-fourth as many teeth as there are characters on either type-wheel, and which is mounted upon a shaft, B, said shaft having a feather, O.

F is a hollow sleeve havinga groove, D, into which the end of shal't B and its feather C respectively slide. The opposite end of the sleeve F is provided with a lug or key, G, which radially projects from the inner surface of the hollow cylinder.

T R are two type-wheels, one provided with letters and the other with figures, rigidly connected together and to shaft 0. The opposite end of shaft Ois provided with a spiral groove, P, within which lug G slides when the end of shaft 0 is thrust within the sleeve F. The spiral groove P, as shown, may extend diametrically through shalt O, and instead of a short lug, G, a key extending diametrically across the opening in the sleeve and supported in the diametrically-opposite sides ofthe sleeve may be employed.

Q, and Q are two collars forming portions of the journal-bearings of the escapement-wheel and type-wheel shafts, to prevent said wheels from being pushed in the direction of their axes. Sleeve F, however, is free to slide in an axial direction, but is rotated by and with shaft B. Shaft O is also, through sleeve F, rotated by shaft B, though the relative positions of the type-wheels and of the eseapementwheel change according to the longitudinal position of sleeve F. \Vhen said sleeve is in such a position that lug G is near the end of shaft 0 ingroove P, the type-wheels will occupy an angular position the space of one character in advance of the position they will have after lug G has been forced some distance toward the opposite end of groove P. Sleeve F is moved to and fro along its axis by means of a forked armature lever, J, pivoted at K, whose prongs rest in a circumferential groove between collars I H. Normally, armature M is firmly held in a retracted position by spring Lthat is, when only a weak current is flow ing over line 2-in which case sleeve F is held in an extreme left position, and the typewheels are so adjusted as. at the termination of vibrations of the escapement, to present any one of the first set of alternate letters, as b d f, 820., and any one of the first alternate set of figures, as 24 6, &o., to the paper strip. Vhen, however, the current on line2 is strengthened, electro-magnet N attracts its armature, throwing sleeve F to the extreme right position, thereby adjusting the typewl1eels to present the second alternate sets ot'letters and iigures that is, ace, &c., and 1 3 5, tc.to the paper str p, it being understood that a is abreast of 1, b abreast of 2, c abreast of 3, &c., on the type-wheels. Whether a letter or figure shall be printed is determined by polarized electromagnet Y, which controls a forked armaturelever, X, pivoted at n, which slides a pressroller, V, mounted on a spindle, I, from one side to the other. Vixen a current, say, of positive polarity, is flowing on line 2, pressroller V is held under the letter type-wheel T, and when of a negative polarity said pressroller is held u nder the figurewheel R. Whether the pressroller is held under one wheel or the other is dependent wholly upon the polarity of current on. line 2, and in no way upon its strength.

Sis a neutral electromagnet in line 1, which is unaffected by the short impulses which set the type-wheels, but which, upon a prolonga- ,tion of an impulse. 'aises armature-lever U,

and causes impression roller V to strike that type-wheel under which it is placed by armature-lever X.

At the transmitting-station line 1 is provided with a rotating current-reverser consisting of a wheel having insulating and conducting spaces alternately arranged upon its periphery, and said circuit-breaking wheel is provided with as many conducting-spaces as there are teeth upon the escapement-wheel of the receiving-instrument, and with an equal number ofinsulating-spaces. Spring crl, connecting with the zinc and copper poles of two main-line batteries whose opposite poles are connected to earth, E, rest upon the periphery of the circuit-breaking wheel, as shown, so that while one spring rests upon a conducting-space the other isin contact with an insulating-space.

h is a rotating arm fixed to the same shaft with the rotating circuit-breaker; and c m is a series of circularlyarranged electromagnets having axial armatures whose ends, may he projected into the, path of rotating arm ii to arrest the same. There are one-half as many conducting spaces on the circuit breaking wheel as there are stop-magnets c m, and there i v are onehalf as many stop magnetsc m as there "are characters on each type-wheel of the receiving-instrument. Each stop'magnet c in is in 3 branch of key A includes wire 13 to point 11,

magnet t, wire 18 to point 12, wire 30. local battery magnet c m, wire 31, and a The branch of key 2 includes wire 15 to point 10, magnet r, wire 19 to point 12, wire 30, local-battery 0 1%, wire 31, and O. The branches of key 1 include, first, wire. 16 to point 10, magnet r, &c., as before, and, second, wire 14 to point 11, and thence through magnet t. Key 1 closes two branches, respectively, through the magnets .r and t. The parts of anvil 23, to which wires 14 and 16 separately connect, must be insulated from each other; otherwise upon closing key A a circuit would be closed through both of the .magnets t and r; as would also be the case upon closing key 2. The local branch which includes key B and is closed thereby only serves to actuate the armature of c m and arrest arm h. The local branch including key A actuates the armature of the-same stopmagnet c m as does key 3, and said branchalso includes an electro magnet, t. Thus upon closing the key A magnet t will cause armature-lever y to close on contact-stop z and short circuit Rheo in main line 2, and thereby increase the current strength on said line. The local branch including key 2 embraces an electro-magnet, r, as well as stop-magnet c m. Electro'magnet r controls an armaturelever, to, which controls an ordinary polechanger.

c is a stationary conducting-post, to which the main line 2 is connected, and w w are two conducting-springs connected to the opposite poles of a battery, M B, from which it is seen that the poles of battery M B are reversed in respect to line 2, both when armaturelever n is attracted and when retracted.

It is seen from the foregoing that upon depressing key 2 arm h is arrested by magnet 0 m, and that the current upon line 2is reversed. The localbranches which include key 1, also respectively include electro-magnets r and t, as well as the stop-magnet c m. Thus, upon depressing key 1, arm h is arrested, and the current on line 2 is both increased and reversed. Arm h is arrested in the same position, and by the same stop-magnet c m upon depressing any one of the keys A B l 2. Upon depressing key B, arm IL is merely arrested ithout affecting the current of line 2, and letter b of the first alternate set of letters on the letter-wheel is printed. Upon depressing key A arm h is arrested, and the current of line 2 and the current of line 2 is merely reversed,

and figure 2 of the first alternate set of figures on the figure-wheel is printed. Upon depress ing key 1 arm 71 is arrested, and the current of line 2 is both reversed and increased, and figure 1 of thesecond alternate set of figures on the figure-wheel is printed.

While arm his rotating, short pulsations are being sent to line, and when arrested the last pulsation transmitted is prolonged into a con tinuous current. Upon depressing a fingerkey the arm h will continue to rotate until it reaches the corresponding stop-magnet, and the prolonged current for raising the presslever is consequently delayed some time after the key is depressed; but at the instant of depressing a key the current online 2isincreased,

reversed, or both increased and reversed, as

the case may be. ceiving-instrument for any one'of four different impressions some time in advance of the act of taking the impression.

I have referred to an alphabetical and numerical arrangement of letters and figures on the 7 type wheels. In practice, however, I should prefer to include all of the frequentlyoccurring letters, as a i e t, &c., in the first alternate set of letters on the letter-wheel. The printing of the majority of letters could then be effected without calling the second main line into operation.

I have described electro-magnet N asa neutral electro-ntaguet and Y as a polarized electro magnet. N however might be polarized and Y neutral, though I prefer the arrangement above described.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

Thus line 2 prepares the re- 1. The combination of escapement-wheel A I and shaft B, sleeve F, type-wheel shaft 0, and electro-magnet N, for moving said sleeve longitudinally to rotate the type wheel, substantially as and for the purpose-set forth.

2. In a printingtelegraph, the combination of an escapement electro-maguet in one line,

and an escapement for effecting a step-by-step mine from which of two alternate sets of char acters impressions shall be taken, and the other to determine from which of two wheels impressions shall be taken.

at. In a printing-telegraph, an escapement controlled by one line for rotating the typewheels the space of two characters at a step, and a se 0nd main line and two electro-magnets therein for determining which of four characters upon the two type-wheels shall be printed after each vibration of the escapeinent, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of type-Wheel shaft 0, having a spiral groove, 1?, or its equivalent, hollow sleeve F,having a lug, G, or its equivalent at one end, and a groove, D, at its other end, escapement-shaft B, having a'feather, (I, and escapement-Wheel A, having one-half as many teeth as there are characters on the typewheel.

6. In a printing -te1egraph transmitter, a main-line pulsator for operating the typewheels by one line, four transmitting-keys, all of which arrest the main-line pulsator in the same position to take the impressions at the receiving-instrninent, and a pole-changing device, and means for increasing the current in i the second main line, the same being operated by said transmitting-keys, substantially as described.

' 7. In a printing-telegraph transmitter, the combination of a series of stop-magnets, a m, for arresting arrn h, separate local branch circuits completed through each stop-magnet,

said branches including transmittingkeys and CHARLES L. 'BUGKINGHAM.

Witnesses:

J OHN D. VAN HORNE, WM. ARNOUX. 

